"Greed," have you seen Auntie Mei Chan at all these past three years?

There's no doubt that the boy clearly knew something too.

Compared to the shrewd and cunning Village Chief Zhu, this naive and innocent child was clearly easier to extract information from.

In a flash, the Man in a Suit changed his mind.

He subtly winked at the Young Woman in a Long Dress, signaling her to come and talk to the boy.

Perhaps it was because he appeared very assertive, coupled with the keen intuition of a child, that even if he acted very friendly, people would only think he had ulterior motives.

The experience of being turned away by Awang made the Man in a Suit realize his own limitations.

He's good at witty banter with adults, but he's probably not so good at dealing with children.

But the Young Woman in a Long Dress was the complete opposite of him. She had a generous appearance and a gentle temperament. With just a slightly softer voice, she could easily make people lower their guard, making her perfect for getting the boy to talk.

The Young Woman in a Long Dress naturally understood the Man in a Suit's intention. She stepped forward, bent slightly, and with a gentle smile on her face, asked in a soft voice, "Little friend, what's your name?"

Sure enough, when the boy saw that it was a gentle and beautiful woman asking him the question, his expression unconsciously relaxed.

"My name is Zhu Yu," the boy replied.

"Zhu Yu, that's a cool name. Can you tell me what happened to Awang? Why did you think of asking us for help?"

Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, but then, as if remembering something, the hesitation vanished. "I overheard Grandpa and Grandma talking, and they said that in two days, the Shamaness grandma will offer Awang as a sacrifice to the Lord Mountain God!"

The players were startled and exchanged glances.

This village... they actually use human sacrifice?

Zhu Yu was still sadly recounting what he knew. "The Shamaness said that if we don't do this, the Lord Mountain God will no longer protect the village, but Awang is my good friend, and I don't want him to be used as a sacrifice."

The Young Woman in a Long Dress asked softly, "Have there ever been instances in the village's past sacrificial rites where... human offerings were required?"

Zhu Yu shook his head. "This is the first time. The Shamaness said that Awang is the reincarnation of a calamity star from heaven. His arrival in our village will bring disaster to the villagers sooner or later. As long as we offer him to the Lord Mountain God, we can not only completely eliminate Aunt Mei Chan, but also ensure that the village will have good weather and abundant harvests in the future."

Standing at the back, Xu Xi couldn't help but think upon hearing this, "So this is why the village chief is so vehemently opposed to this sacrificial ceremony? Because he can't bear to see Awang become a sacrificial offering?"

Just then, he heard Zhu Yu cautiously ask, "Sister, could you please not kill Aunt Mei Chan?"

Everyone was stunned again.

The Young Woman in a Long Dress tentatively spoke up, "But your grandfather and the villagers all say that Aunt Mei Chan is causing trouble in the village."

Zhu Yu pouted. "Aunt Mei Chan is so kind. Every time I go to play with Awang, she cooks delicious food for me. And I even made a wish with Aunt Mei Chan, and nothing happened. They're just lying! It wasn't Aunt Mei Chan who harmed anyone."

Make a wish?

Why are there more and more problems?

Why do we make a wish to Aunt Mei Chan?

Zhu Yu answered without hesitation, "Those uncles and aunts all said not to make wishes with Aunt Mei Chan, or something bad would happen, but I did, and nothing happened at all."

The Young Man in a Duckbill Cap couldn't help but exclaim, "Good lad, that's pretty bold!"

The Young Woman in a Long Dress asked a few more questions, including the fire three years ago, the specific story of Awang's mother, the old man knocking on the door in the middle of the night, and the unusual wheat field.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yu didn't know much about those things; it seemed that Village Chief Zhu and the villagers were intentionally keeping it from the children.

"It's definitely not Aunt Mei Chan who's harming people, please don't hurt Awang Mei Chan, okay?" Zhu Yu pleaded with the players until the very end, "Oh right, and Awang too!"

The Young Woman in a Long Dress smiled reassuringly at him and comforted him, "Don't worry, your older brothers and sisters will definitely find out the truth before making a decision. If it has nothing to do with Aunt Mei Chan, we naturally won't take action. We'll also try to find a way to help Awang."

Moreover, even if it really was Awang's mother who did it, they couldn't do anything to her for the time being. As for Awang... now that things have come to this point, it's obvious that they will definitely stop this human sacrifice.

After hearing the "masters'" assurances, Zhu Yu felt much happier and turned to run towards the courtyard gate. "Then I'll go and call Grandpa back for you."

"Hey kid, wait a minute!" the Man in a Suit immediately called out to him.

Zhu Yu turned to look at him, puzzled.

The Man in a Suit smiled and said, "No need to call your grandfather. Let's find him tonight when he comes back. Do you know where the Shamaness grandmother lives? And where the Lord Mountain God is usually worshipped in the village?"

Although Zhu Yu didn't know why the masters didn't want him to go find his grandfather again, he still obediently stopped and told the Shamaness where she lived and where the Mountain God Temple was located.

"Okay, we understand, little friend, you go ahead..." Just as the Man in a Suit was about to send Zhu Yu away, a male voice suddenly interrupted from behind.

"Little friend, have you seen Aunt Mei Chan in the past three years?"

The other five people were stunned when they heard this.

What kind of hellish question is this?

When they turned around, they discovered that the question had actually come from the Young Man in a Hoodie had barely spoken.

Just now, Xu Xi suddenly realized something that they hadn't paid much attention to before.

What exactly Awang's mother transformed into after her death seems to be completely unknown. Village Chief Zhu simply said it was the work of a ghost, but he couldn't provide any more specific details.

However, after asking the question, he realized that his question seemed a little inappropriate.

Asking a child under ten years old if they've ever seen a dead person... that seems a bit scary.

Fortunately, Zhu Yu was rather thick-skinned, or perhaps because he believed that Aunt Mei Chan wouldn't harm him, so he wasn't afraid. After thinking seriously for a while, he shook his head and said, "No, Aunt Mei Chan didn't appear when I made my wish, and my wish didn't come true."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "My grandfather never met Aunt Mei Chan either."

Xu Xi nodded. "I understand, go have fun."

Zhu Yu waved to the others and went to play with his friends.

After the boy ran far away, the Man in a Suit looked at Xu Xi meaningfully. "Do you suspect that Awang's mother's ghost never actually existed?"

Um?

Xu Xi didn't react for a moment.

The Young Woman in a Long Dress seemed to have gained a new insight, her expression suddenly brightening. "I was a little confused earlier. That so-called Shamaness wanted to offer Awang as a sacrifice to the Lord Mountain God. No matter what, Awang's mother wouldn't just stand by and watch her son be offered up, would she? But half a month has passed, and nothing has happened in the village."